Documents such as medical records may be used for a variety of reasons in conjunction with an organ or tissue that is being stored, transported, assessed and/or treated in perfusion apparatus. Typically, these documents are transported at the same time as the organ or tissue and are transported separately and/or are externally accessible. Additionally, the apparatus used to transport the organ or tissue and the apparatus used to transport the documents can be freely opened during transport.
The practice of storing and protecting an organ or tissue and related documents as discussed above suffers certain shortfalls. If documents are altered or unavailable, a doctor or clinician may refuse to use an organ or tissue because necessary information may be unavailable or may be of questionable authenticity.
An apparatus has been disclosed in which documents are transported in an external compartment of the apparatus, and can be accessed when the apparatus is closed. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,673,594 to Owen et al. However, external access to documents increases the likelihood of unauthorized alteration of the information contained in the documents or loss of the documents. An organ or tissue container that is opened during storage or transport may be contaminated, and the organ or tissue may be exposed to environmental conditions that are detrimental to the viability and health of the organ or tissue. These problems may jeopardize the health of the organ or tissue and the ultimate success of the procedure in which the organ or tissue is to be used.